I did not write out a full manuscript for this sermon but below is the outline I used to preach from. I would have included the audio but I haven't been able to figure out how to make it work.
Living in Exile
· Jeremiah’s words came to people in exile.
o Literally deported to a foreign country.
o Exile meant God had been defeated
o Or at the very least, God doesn’t have jurisdiction here
· Many of us experience exile at some point in our lives. We may not be literally deported to a foreign land but we still experience exile. Exile is when things are not as they should be. It’s when you can’t remember who you are. Exile is when you feel far from the presence of God, far from home or a sense of security.
o Bureau of Labor statistics reported that in October the US unemployment rate rose to 10.2%
o As of 2007 an estimated 33 million people world wide are living with HIV/AIDS
o Roughly 16,000 children die every day of hunger, that’s one child every 5 seconds, that’s more than 144 children who will die due to hunger related illnesses before this sermon is over
o Addictions
o Unmanaged Depression/mental illness
o Death of a loved one
· Our response to exile is similar to Israel
o Where are you God?
o Why do bad things happen to good people?
o How long will things be this way?
· Jeremiah’s words are also for us
· The days are surely coming when God’s promises will be fulfilled
· What exactly are the promises Jeremiah is referring to?
· Jeremiah 33:6-9
o Despite all the pain and destruction, there will be restoration. In other words this time of exile will not last forever.
o Health and healing
o Abundant peace and security
o Forgiveness of sins
· God will do for Israel what they cannot do for themselves. We cannot return from exile on our own. It takes the work of God, the fulfillment of God’s promises to bring us home.
· But God promises that we will not live in exile forever.
· God will make a righteous branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.
· David is often considered to be the most prominent king of Israel. He’s certainly the most well remembered. David was not without his faults but overall he was faithful to the Lord, and sought to lead Israel in accordance with God’s will.
· But God will not raise up any descendant from the line of David, God is going to raise up one who is righteous and who does what is just and right.
· What exactly is justice and righteousness?
· It’s actually the same word in Hebrew.
· It means to be in right relationship.
o Someone who is righteous and just lives in right relationship with God. That means obey the commandments and laws of God. It means discerning and doing the will of God in every day live.
o Someone who is righteous and just lives in right relationship with their neighbors. That means caring for those who cannot care for themselves. It means upholding the covenants we make with one another. It means speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. It means not being a workaholic and ignoring our families.
o Someone who is righteous and just lives in right relationship with themselves. They don’t engage in self destructive behaviors like not getting enough sleep or eating too much.
· Being righteous and just is doing not just some of those things but all of those things. Being righteous and just all the time is a tall order. In fact it’s something none of us can live up to.
· But there’s one person who did manage to live a just and righteous life. One person who was able to always be in right relationship with God, and neighbor, and self. Jesus did all of those things all the time.
· Many scholars believe the birth of Jesus is one fulfillment of this prophecy. According to the genealogy of Jesus listed in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is considered part of the Davidic line.
· Jesus managed not only to live an earthly life of justice and righteousness, but also came to set us back in right relationship.
o Right relationship with God, neighbor, and self.
· Many of us experience exile at some point in our lives. We know what it’s like to feel like things are not as they should be, where it seems like God is far away, and safety and comfort are nowhere to be found.
· But God promises that exile will not last forever. Two thousand years ago, God sent Jesus to bring us back from exile we experience when our relationship with God is not as it should be and to restore us to right relationship.
· God promises to do it again. God promises that Jesus will come again, to set the whole world in right relationship.
· During advent, we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus long ago, we also wait in anticipation and hope, for Jesus to return again and set all things right.
· Let this advent season be a time of self-reflection. What are the parts of your life that are not in right relationship with God, with your neighbor, or with yourself? What are the parts of your life God is asking you to hand over so God can set them in right relationship?
o We typically go through advent at such a frenzied pace. Instead of a time for waiting and anticipation of Christ’s return, we seem to be inundated with holiday parties and frantic shopping trips.
o Use this as a time of prayer, devotion, and reflection. I encourage you to set aside ten minutes each day to reflect on what God is telling you needs to be set right in your life.
· God has promised that one day, all things will be set right. Jeremiah reminds us today that the days are coming when God’s promises will be fulfilled.
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